1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a personal accessory for use in connection with massaging or scratching a person's scalp. The electric massage comb has particular utility in connection massaging and scratching a person's scalp through thick or thin hare, thereby providing relief from itchiness, a thorough massage, and scalp stimulation for the owner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many different types of hair care shampoos and conditioning products, along with powered devices available for grooming, conditioning and styling a person's hair. While these products are well suited for treating and grooming the individual's hair, few if any, help stimulate or massage the scalp. Typically, electrical body massagers are not suitable for messaging the scalp because they are unable to penetrate the hair layer. The inability for body massagers to penetrate the hair layer is especially true for individuals with thick or thickly styled hair. Furthermore, the body massagers may not fulfill the user's need to scratch the scalp area. Additionally, the use of a body massager or hair care product to stimulate or massage the scalp requires the user to completely re-style or comb the hair again. This is a time consuming step and is an unacceptable procedure for many people who would like to massage or scratch the scalp area. Therefore, a device that could massage and scratch the scalp area without complete disruption of the hairstyle would be beneficial to many individuals.
The use of electric combs is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,391 to Claude Revil discloses an electric comb for combing out and styling thick or difficult hair. While the Revil '391 patent is well suited for combing thick or difficult hair, it does not address several important factors for massaging or scratching the scalp area. First, the single line of teeth provided by the Revil '391 patent does not cover enough area on the scalp to thoroughly massage or scratch the scalp. Second, the Revil '391 patent makes no provision for variable speed for the comb teeth motion. A single speed might not serve users with varying scalp stimulation needs and may not suitably massage or scratch the scalp area. Finally, the Revil '391 patent does not provide teeth at different heights or levels, requiring the user to constantly adjust the position of the comb in order to reach the rounded portions of a person scalp.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,096 to Anthony Paccione discloses a teasing comb apparatus with oscillating teeth members supported by a frame. However, since the Paccione '096 device oscillates in only one direction, it would not be as effective for massaging the scalp as comb teeth that oscillate in multiple directions. Furthermore, the Paccione '096 patent places all the teeth at the same level, making it cumbersome and ineffective on the rounded portions of the scalp. Lastly, the Paccione '096 patent only provides for a single speed of oscillation of the comb's teeth, which would not provide effective massage and relief from scalp itches for all users.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. Des 207,690 to Leonard R. Marsano discloses the ornamental design for a comb and handle apparatus with an elongated hook for curling purposes located above the comb portion. However, the Marsano '690 patent does not discuss how, and in what direction, the comb would oscillate. Additionally, the Marsano '690 device provides only a single row of teeth for the comb, which would not satisfactorily massage the entirety of a person's scalp, especially on the rounded portions of the human scalp. Finally, the Marsano '690 patent does not indicate how the device would operate with a motor or if the motor would contain variable speed adjustments. Again, the ability to adjust the speed of the action of the comb's teeth is critical in providing multiple forms of scalp relief to variety of users.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,881 to Zeev Golan, Ruth Golan, Shlomo Gilboa and Liora Gilboa disclose an apparatus for the treatment of hair, generally comprising a handle and a plurality of teeth oscillating at a length of no greater than 8 millimeters and a frequency of no less than 3000 cycles per minute. However, the Golan, et al. '881 device would not be effective for massaging or scratching the scalp because it only oscillates in one direction. Because comb teeth that oscillate in multiple directions will enhance the massaging and scratching results, the Golan, et al. '881 patent would not satisfy the user's requirement to massage the scalp area thoroughly. Furthermore, the Golan, et al. '881 patent places all the teeth at the same level, making it cumbersome and ineffective on the rounded portions of the scalp.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 2,895,487 to Lillian Hazzard discloses a comb like device that is used for cleaning the hair and scalp. The Hazzard '487 patent uses an exchangeable absorbent material in between the teeth of the comb in order to remove moisture, oil and dirt from the hair. However, the Hazzard '487 patent does not address a method for automating the movement of the teeth, in order to prevent fatigue of the user. Additionally, the Hazzard '487 device requires the user to constantly update or replace the moisture-absorbing pad in the comb, which can waste time and add unwanted expense for the user. Finally, the Hazzard '487 device is not suitable for prolonged scratching or massaging of the scalp because the teeth of the comb are the same length and distance from the base unit, making it difficult to scratch and message the rounded portions of the human head.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,162 to Bernard F. Dreyer and Paul F. Paglericcio discloses a hair styling device with a chamber having air withdrawn in order to create a vacuum in the chamber itself. The vacuum chamber, surrounded by supplementary orifices supplying heated air, draws the user's hair into the chamber to assist in the drying process. While the Dreyer, et al. '162 patent is well suited for drying the user's hair, it is not intended to stimulate, scratch or touch the scalp of the user. Additionally, the Dreyer, et al. '162 patent makes no provision for the oscillatory function necessary for massaging or scratching areas of the scalp. Finally, the Dreyer, et al. '162 patent does not provide an apparatus such as comb teeth, to penetrate thick or styled hair by which the device can be used to reach the scalp.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe an electric massage comb that provides a thorough scalp massage, along with relief from itchiness, independent of the thickness of the user's hair. The single line of teeth provided by the Revil '391 and Marsano '690 patents does not cover enough area on the scalp to thoroughly massage or scratch the scalp. Furthermore, the Revil '391, Paccione '096, the Golan, et al. '881, and Hazzard '487 devices fail to provide comb teeth of varying heights, requiring the user to constantly adjust the position of the comb in order to reach the rounded portions of his scalp. In addition, the Paccione '096, Marsano '690, and Golan, et al. '881 devices do not provide oscillation in multiple directions, thus they would not provide as effective a means for massaging the scalp as a device with comb teeth that oscillate in multiple directions. Moreover, the Hazzard '487 and Dreyer, et al. '162 patents make no provision for the oscillatory motion necessary for providing effective massage therapy for the scalp, and the Marsano '690 patent makes no indication of how the device would operate with a motor or whether the motor would contain variable speed adjustments. The single speed for the comb teeth motion provided in the Revil '391 and Paccione '096 patents limits the effectiveness of these devices and might not provide effective massage and relief from scalp itches for all users. Additionally, the Hazzard '487 device would be time consuming and expensive to use since it requires constant replacement of the moisture-absorbing pad in the comb. Finally, the Dreyer, et al. '162 device would be ineffective in providing a scalp massage or relief from scalp itchiness since it has no apparatus, such as comb teeth, by which the device can be used to reach the scalp.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved electric massage comb that can be used for providing relief from an itchy scalp and a thorough scalp massage. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, an electric massage comb according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so, provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a soothing massage and relief from scalp itchiness without disturbing the user's hair style.